Sunday, April 30, 2017

Egypt: Relentless assault on rights of workers & unionists

Dozens of workers and trade unionists in Egypt have faced
arrest, detention, dismissal from work or trials in military courts,
merely for exercising their freedom of expression, association and
assembly, Amnesty International said in a statement published to mark Labour Day on 1 May.

Amid rising economic hardship in Egypt and a wave labour strikes in
the private and public sector, as well as military-owned industries, the
government is using a series of disciplinary measures and criminal
sanctions to crack down on workers and trade unionists. It is also
seeking to amend existing laws to further restrict labour rights.

“The Egyptian authorities have waged a punitive campaign against
workers and trade unionists to deter and punish them from mobilizing or
going on strike. Demanding your labour rights and expressing your
grievances should not be a criminal offense.

The right to strike and
peaceful assembly are enshrined, both, in Egypt’s Constitution and
international human rights law. Egyptian authorities must stop punishing
people for exercising and demanding their rights,” said Najia Bounaim,
Campaigns Director for North Africa at Amnesty International.

Many workers have been arrested simply for taking part in a strike or
a peaceful protest. Some have been held in pre-trial detention for
prolonged periods or subject to restrictive probation measures. Just
last week, 16 workers from the Telecom Egypt Company in Cairo and Giza
were arrested for participating in a peaceful demonstration under
Egypt’s anti-protest law. They were released after solidarity protests.

In some cases disciplinary measures including pay cuts, suspension or
dismissal from work are used to punish workers. At the state-run
Zagazig University Hospital, 12 nurses were suspended after
participating in a week-long strike in February 2017 during which the
hospital provided only emergency services.

Workers in military-owned factories face additional risks as they can
be subject to unfair trials at military courts,. Twenty five workers
from the military-run Alexandria Shipyard Company are currently on trial
before a military court. They have been charged with “inciting workers
to strike,” and could face up to two years in prison.

The authorities have also interfered with the functioning of
independent workers unions, by targeting members with disciplinary
action and by hampering their activities. The government has also
proposed amendments to the Labour Law and Trade Unions Law that will
make organizing strikes even more difficult and will make it virtually
impossible to establish or join an independent trade union.

*For more information about the labour rights situation in Egypt see the full statement here